Good morning, Lancaster County.
Cloudy and 68 today, with a northwest wind around 9 mph.
It brightens from there.
Tuesday is mostly sunny and 74, and Wednesday is mostly sunny and 78 — which matters in New Holland, where the fair opens Wednesday and the parade steps off at 7 that evening.
In today's Lancaster Local:
Ephrata's downtown is getting an Art Walk, and they want to hear about your wall
The New Holland Farmers Fair opens Wednesday, with no admission fee
A birding morning that stays on an accessible trail the whole time
Trivia in Strasburg, and the library brings the pizza
COMMUNITY NEWS
Ephrata is getting an Art Walk.
Mainspring of Ephrata announced on September 24 that it has received multi-year funding from Pennsylvania Creative Industries and the Borough of Ephrata to create the Ephrata Art Walk — a growing collection of public art across downtown.
Between the state grant and Mainspring's own fundraising, Mainspring puts the total at nearly $21,000 per year, and says the art will take shape over the next four years.
The money comes from three places.
The state share is awarded through the Creative Communities Initiative, which funds place-based community arts projects.
Mainspring's share comes from private donors and local businesses.
And the Borough's commitment, in Mainspring's words, is "what made the rest possible," because state programs like this one require local support before they'll invest.
Mainspring says Ephrata already knows what public art can do, and points to the Franklin Street parking lot mural, which "wrapped the cinder block walls in color." And Borough Council has approved their request to paint the electric boxes throughout the Central Business District — "small canvases that add up fast."
The planning committee is a deliberate mix: a historical site director, an elected official, a tourism representative, an artist and muralist, and a Latino business owner.
They'll also reach out to the people who keep local traditions alive through storytelling, craft, music and art.
Right now they're doing the groundwork — choosing locations, shaping themes, and deciding what kinds of installations belong where.
Once the first designs take shape, Mainspring hopes to hold a public meeting to show the plans and take feedback.
They haven't announced a date.
Mainspring's executive director, Joy Ashley, put the idea simply:
"A mural or an installation gives someone a reason to park the car and walk.
Walking turns into browsing, browsing turns into lunch, and lunch turns into coming back.
The art is the draw, and the downtown around it is what people discover."
It won't arrive all at once.
In their words, you'll see the Art Walk grow "one installation at a time over the next several years."
And there's an open invitation in their announcement: if a wall in your neighborhood "seems like it's asking for something, tell us." They're at [email protected].
EVENTS
📚 Swoon Squad: A Romance TBR Book Club — Manheim Township Public Library, 595 Granite Run Drive, Lancaster.
Today, Monday, September 28, 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.
A book club with a twist: there's no assigned book.
They announce a trope, and you bring any book that fits it — from your own to-be-read pile or the library shelves.
This month's trope is academic romance.
Registration is required and closes at 5:45 p.m.
🎡 New Holland Farmers Fair — the 100 blocks of East and West Main Street, New Holland.
Wednesday, September 30, through Saturday, October 3.
There's no admission fee.
The midway runs 11:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. each day; rides open at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday and at 11:00 a.m. on Friday and Saturday.
Many food stands are open for lunch, with most opening at 4:00.
The Spectacle of Bands Parade is Wednesday, September 30, at 7:00 p.m., and roads close at 6:00.
This year's Honor Band is the Downingtown High School Marching Band.
Parking is on many of the surrounding streets, and several local organizations offer paid parking.
One heads-up: the Eastern Lancaster County Library closes at 2:00 p.m. Wednesday for the fair.
🏛️ Fall Lecture: The Hospital at the Cloister — Visitor Center auditorium, Historic Ephrata Cloister, 632 West Main Street, Ephrata.
Thursday, October 1, 7:00 p.m.
In 1777 the Continental Army set up a hospital on the Cloister grounds.
Site administrator Bradley Smith will share what the Cloister calls never-before-told stories of that hospital and the people who served or were treated there.
About an hour.
$10, or free for members of the Ephrata Cloister Associates. Registration is required for everyone, online or in person.
Registrants also get a link to a recording afterward.
🐦 An Incredible Journey: Birding Along the Migratory Pathway — Clark Nature Preserve, 400 House Rock Road, Pequea.
Saturday, October 3, 9:30 to 11:30 a.m.
A Lancaster Conservancy morning with birder Sarah Gotwols on Pennsylvania's fall migrants.
The Susquehanna River valley, they note, is an important stop along the migratory pathway, where birds rest and refuel on their journey.
The whole event stays on the Lloyd Clark Universal Access Trail, which the Conservancy describes as friendly to those with varying mobility needs.
Bring binoculars if you have them.
If you don't, some will be available to borrow.
Ages 10 and up, and anyone under 18 comes with an adult.
Rain or shine.
Tickets are through Eventbrite.
🌽 Maize & Snitz Fest — 1719 Museum, 1849 Hans Herr Drive, Willow Street.
Saturday, October 3, 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Lancaster County's early Indigenous and European cultures, demonstrated: apple butter making, blacksmithing, beadwork and music, plus tours of the Herr House and the Lancaster Longhouse.
The museum calls the Herr House the oldest surviving homestead in Lancaster County.
Adults $15, ages 6 to 16 $7, and 5 and under free.
A household of five or more pays $45 at the entrance.
🐮 Manheim Community Farm Show — 502 Adele Avenue, Manheim, next to Manheim Central High School.
Monday, October 5, through Friday, October 9.
The 72nd year, with free admission and free parking all five days.
If the timing looks familiar, Manheim's own site explains it: the date is set as the first full week of October, the week following the New Holland Fair.
🏆 Trivia Night — Strasburg-Heisler Library, 143 Precision Avenue, Strasburg.
Wednesday, October 7, 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. Adults only.
Bring a team of six or fewer.
The library provides pizza, salad and dessert, and the winning team gets a prize.
It's BYOB for those 21 and over.
Register each team member individually.
Registration closes at 5:45 p.m. that day.
🔭 Astronomy Enthusiasts of Lancaster County — Lititz Public Library, 651 Kissel Hill Road, Lititz.
Wednesday, October 7, 6:30 p.m.
The Astronomy Enthusiasts of Lancaster County meet here monthly, and their meetings are open to the public.
Come learn about the night sky.
No registration.
Cloudy and a high near 68 today, with a northwest wind around 9 mph.
Tonight is mostly cloudy and down around 56.
Tuesday is mostly sunny and 74.
Wednesday is mostly sunny and 78, and Wednesday night — parade night in New Holland — is partly cloudy with a low around 61.
Have a good Monday.
— The Lancaster Local